April 17, 2008 Man cleared of fifth DUI charge Witnesses get wrong court date By Aaron Nicodemus TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF WESTBORO— A Westboro man charged with his fifth offense for drinking and driving has been cleared of all charges, in large part because witnesses in the case were summoned on the wrong date. Bryce R. Williams II, 45, of 8 Lee Ann Circle, was found not guilty by Westboro District Court Judge Paul S. Waickowski Monday of the drunken driving charge and additional charges of leaving the scene of a property damage accident and driving with a suspended license. Judge Waickowski found Mr. Williams not responsible for failing to stop or yield for police. “There were some problems, obviously,” said Timothy Connolly,
spokesman for Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.,
regarding the prosecution’s handling of the case. “First and foremost, there was an error in summoning the witnesses for April 29, rather than April 14,” he said. The case was supposed to go to a jury, but instead went to a bench trial before Judge Waickowski. Without any witnesses, the case was decided solely on the police reports, Mr. Connolly said. “Given that there were no witnesses, there was little case to present to the judge,” he said. The prosecutor did not request a continuance, he said. “All I can say is, I’m not happy about it,” said Westboro Police Chief Alan R. Gordon. The charges stemmed from an April 2007 accident, in which witnesses told police a green Toyota Tacoma pickup truck went through a stop sign and hit another car. Police later found the green pickup in the Regal Cinemas parking lot, its front end smashed and fluid leaking out of the engine. Police reported that the vehicle’s doors were unlocked, the keys were in the ignition, and an open can of beer was found. Police questioned Mr. Williams at his home about 45 minutes after the accident occurred. According to the police report, Mr. Williams admitted to police that he drove the truck and that he had “too much to drink.” He failed several field sobriety tests, according to the report, and refused to take a breath test, the report stated. Mr. Connolly said the largest hole in the evidence in the police report was that police did not actually see Mr. Williams driving the truck. “There was some question as to whether he was driving,” he said. According to the police report, one motorist followed Mr. Williams after the accident to write down his license plate number, and relayed that information to police. According to court records, Mr. Williams had previously filed with Judge Waickowski for all charges to be dropped, alleging that police had searched him illegally. Judge Waickowski denied that motion in October 2007. February 2, 2008 Worcester DA Joseph Early just another one of the good old boys Allows another DRUNK Police officer to elude conviction.Once again a police officer has eluded conviction for drunk driving. Not because Northborough Detective, James F. Scesny, 38 a fifteen year police veteran wasn’t drunk. Blood tests taken at the hospital revealed that the officer’s blood alcohol level was .168, more than twice the .08 legal limit. Officer Scesny however by means of his lawyer filing a motion to suppress the blood tests was able to have the test results suppressed. Clinton District Court Judge Martha A. Breenan, on January 18, 2008 allowed the motion. Now in order to avoid the appearance of collusion Worcester DA Joseph Early assigned Gregg Bertonazzi, as a “special prosecutor” from outside the district who of course lost the criminal case in a short bench trial. On May 3, 2007 Fitchburg police Detective Perry N. Pappas, 50, refused to do any field sobriety tests and also refused to take a breathalyzer, according to a police report written by state Trooper Michael Caranfa. Defense attorney Steven Panagiotes of Fitchburg, said afterward "not much of a case, I did nothing,I walked in, I stood up and that was it." To avoid the appearance of collusion in the Pappas case Worcester DA Joseph Early assigned a “Special Prosecutor” John Goggins, a Worcester attorney. December 2007 in the murder case of Candace Scola just when published reports that the final forensic test results would be ready within six to eight weeks, Joseph P. Gaughan a “special prosecutor” suddenly resigned. Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early then turned the probe over to Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz’s office. This step that could add months or years to the families already long wait for justice. So for anyone wanting to elude prosecution for drunk driving refuse the breathalyzer and field sobriety test. If you are injured and sent to the hospital and a blood test is taken, simply file a motion for suppression and you should avoid conviction. Newly elected Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early’s administration has continued to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor John Conte. As we plainly can see it is not the severity of the crime in Worcester under the Early administration but who is criminal charges are lodges against in regards to seeking a conviction. January 27, 2008 Kilo of cocaine among unaccounted-for evidence Items missing after move to new courthouseWORCESTER— A kilo of cocaine is among numerous items of evidence from some 50 old Worcester Superior Court cases that officials have been unable to locate. Stressing that it is uncertain if any of the items were stolen, Timothy J. Connolly, a spokesman for District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr., told the Sunday Telegram that state police detectives assigned to the district attorney’s office have launched an investigation into the unaccounted-for evidence. The investigation is expected to include interviews with those who had access to the evidence, which was stored at the old courthouse, and police officers who worked the underlying cases......... The items were trial exhibits from cases that concluded between 1990 and 2004 and were then placed in storage as required by court rules, said Mr. McManus, who did not become the Worcester Superior Court clerk until January 2007. January 13, 2007 Actions by Worcester DA Early reflective of former DA John Conte. After a year of hopefulness that newly elected Worcester District Attorney, Joseph D. Early Jr., would actually be a change from the entrenched former District Attorney, John Conte, has not materialized. When interviewed for a Telegram article, DA Early claimed he informed Assistant District Attorney Joseph J. Reilly III to pick up the pace in the John Szantyr criminal trial, now over four years old. DA Early informed the media and those who have worked tirelessly, to support the two alleged victims in this case, that it would go to trial in August 2007. Currently, February 28th is now the next recorded court date for a motion hearing with still no trial date scheduled. In fact, what many have viewed as alleged gross negligence by ADA Joseph Reilly, who failed to see that a package which contained a report sent by Dr Malcolm Rogers required for the August 20th date, was actually in the courthouse for that hearing. When the media questioned the DA’s Office, they of course blamed the doctor, however, it was later stated in court that the report was located in the courthouse the next day. Those individuals who came forward after the failure to "locate" the doctors report incident which caused additional delay provided statements regarding Szantyr's competency to Early’s C-Pac Troopers. They agreed to do so all based on DA Early’s word of September 21, 2007 that he “had something in mind” to assist in the prosecution of John Szantyr. Last week it was discovered, based on a ruling issued by Worcester District Court Judge David Ricciardone on January 8th that their statements were misrepresented to the court and contained factually inaccurate portions all slanted towards the continued protection of the defendant. Public Record Request (s) were sent to DA Early‘s office to avoid just this type of issue. The request was however, denied by ADA Joseph Reilly, which is highly unusual as ADA Reilly functions as a prosecutor not the Keeper of the Records. ADA Reilly also never contacted each perspective witness to go over their statements taken by Auburn C-Pac State Trooper, David Cravedi, to make sure of their accuracy before they were presented to the court. DA Early was informed the statement (s) had been altered and written statement (s) had been made by those misrepresented in the court ruling. However, instead of dealing with the issue professionally, DA Early instead chose to attack the fact that this information was being brought to his attention. DA Early became so verbally aggressive that communication with him had to be disconnected as he had lost all composure. One of the biggest issues for all those who live in Worcester County was the misuse of the C-Pac State Troopers by his predecessor John Conte. Conte has already been proven to have used his C -Pac State Police troopers as puppets to impose his personal will, for both political and prosecutorial reasons. A prime example is the case, Jean v Massachusetts State Police, where a video clearly shows Conte’s C-Pac State troopers, under the direction of Commander Captain Thomas Greene, who appeared in force, as a means of intimidation conducting an illegal warrantless search in the home of Paul Pechonis.When the video was posted on the conte2006.com web site, Worcester District Attorney John Conte used his association with the State Police to send an illegal “cease and desist letter”, which actually was a misrepresentation of the Massachusetts wire tape law, to seek leverage and intimidate the publisher of the conte2006 anti- re-election web site. This was District Attorney Conte’s third attempt to take the anti- re-election conte2006.com site down; his second attempt using the Massachusetts State Police. These actions were all politically motivated but conducted via the use of his elected office as District Attorney. Use of his elected position for political leverage is in no way reflective of his sworn duties to uphold the laws of Massachusetts. The First Circuit Federal Court ruled against the State Police and the Appeals Court has upheld the ruling. The video case is now scheduled to return to Federal court on January 23rd for a status conference. Worcester Telegram court reporter, Gary Murray, failed to cover the latest ruling in the John Szantyr case. This was also an ongoing pattern during the Conte regime when court rulings were not favorable to the District Attorney’s Office. The Worcester Telegram has also tip - toed around the Early District Attorney’s office failing to actually bring to light the lack of fruition of his public promise made to the alleged victims in the Szantyr case. District Attorney Joseph Early Jr., claims, in one sentence, to be concerned about the sexual abuse of minors; yet his failed actions in the Szantry case still represents favoritism for those who are connected in Worcester County. Public deserves better explanation from DA in reckless driving cases Editorial / Opinion Sentinel and Enterprise Two recent decisions by District Attorney Joseph D. Early's office has us shaking our heads. In one case, prosecutors from his office agreed to recommend a 60-day jail sentence for a Fitchburg woman charged with hitting two state police detectives with her car during a drug bust in August. Because of time served, she walked out of jail last Tuesday after entering into the plea agreement. Fitchburg District Court Judge Andrew Mandell sentenced Raychel Ferrera, 24, to one year in the Worcester House of Corrections with all but 60 days suspended. She was also sentenced to one year of probation. All parties agreed to the deal, including the two detectives Ferrera hit with her car, according to Tim Connolly, spokesman for the Worcester County District Attorney's Office. "There were no objections from anyone involved," Connolly said. "We always check with the victims in any case before we agree to any pleas." It's important to note that neither detectives sustained any injuries from the incident, as Connolly said. But more important is the fact that prosecutors agreed to a short jail sentence for a 24-year-old woman with a criminal history who backed into state police when she was trying to evade them. Detectives working with the North Worcester County Regional Drug Task Force had Ferrera under surveillance in August when she was spotted with heroin in her car while parked at the McDonald's on Whalon Street, according to police. Officers surrounded her Toyota Scion to place her under arrest, parking a police cruiser in front of her car and two detectives stood behind her, according to police. Ferrera responded by trying to back out of her parking space, hitting the two detectives, according to police. Assistant District Attorney Terry McLaughlin said police found heroin packaged for sale in her car and more heroin on her person after she was arrested. The clear implication is that not only did she try to get away from police by backing into two of them, but she was also dealing drugs, or at least preparing to do so. To allow her to serve just 60 days sends a terrible message to other drug dealers/users, far too many of whom make Fitchburg their home. Her attorney, John Dombrowski of Leominster, told the court that Ferrera will live with her family after her release for the first time in a decade. "She's had a significant drug problem for the better part of 10 years," he said. Ferrera's arrest came while she served a probation sentence for a previous drug-related crime, said Mike Grenier, her probation officer. Dombrowski laid much of the blame for Ferrera's addiction on her ex-boyfriend. "Her history is part and parcel of an abusive relationship," he said. Ferrera will enter an intensive, outpatient drug treatment program, Dombrowski said. She plans to get her life together and attend college, he said. "She's 24. She still has a chance and she needs to take advantage of that," he said. We hope that Ferrera does take advantage of this very light sentence and turns her life around, but we also think prosecutors should not have agreed to such a light sentence. Likewise, the District Attoney's office announced Tuesday that no charges will be filed in the fatal I-190 accident in which a Fitchburg woman died in a car driven by her son, Connolly said. Wanda Molina, 39, of Fitchburg, died when the Toyota Tercel driven by her son, David Molina, 19, collided with the Buick Lucern driven by Nancy Mourdian, 46, of Worcester, according to police. Police report David Molina hit Mourdian's car when he tried to abruptly exit the highway using exit 1, the Gold Star Boulevard exit. His car spun out onto the grassy island between the exit ramp and the highway's right lane, police report. The Toyota then hit the exit 1 sign before coming to a stop, police report. Connolly did not specify why no charges will be filed in the case, but said the investigation is complete. "We research and investigate each one of these cases," he said. "After a thorough investigation of this case, we decided not to bring charges." We don't think that statement quite cuts it. We understand the depth of the tragedy when a mother dies while her teenage son is driving, but Connolly owed residents a better explanation about why the 19-year-old wasn't charged, when he clearly seemed to be driving recklessly at best. Again in this case, the D.A.'s decision, and lack of an explanation sends a terrible message to all the other teenage drivers out there. October 5, 2007 DA won’t bring charges Former members of school board By Karen Nugent TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF HARVARD— No charges will be brought against two School Committee members accused of mishandling special education funds. Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said yesterday a six-month investigation by state police and the financial crimes unit of his office found no criminal wrongdoing. However, Mr. Early said, it is possible there may have been violations that fall under the jurisdiction of the state Ethics Commission. Mr. Early’s office was contacted earlier this year by a Harvard resident who alleged that former school board member Paul M. Wormser got $30,000 from the town as tuition reimbursement to send his child to Cushing Academy in Ashburnham. The money was supposedly for special education tuition, but Cushing, a private preparatory school with tuition of about $28,000 a year for day students, does not have special education programs. Mr. Wormser, who was elected to the School Committee in 2004, resigned shortly before his three-year term expired in April and has since moved out of state. A second allegation was made against another former school board member, Sharon McCarthy, involving $100,000 she received in special education tuition reimbursements to send her child to the Eagle Hill School in Hardwick. The school is solely for children with learning disabilities. The reimbursements were made after Ms. McCarthy’s term on the committee expired in March 2005. The Eagle Hill tuition is about $35,000 a year for day students. The $100,000 in reimbursements was to be spread over four years. The Ethics Commission does not comment on investigations until they are completed. A group of residents that first made the allegations against Mr. Wormser and Ms. McCarthy — as well as the rest of the School Committee and Superintendent Thomas W. Jefferson — hired Sterling lawyer James F. Gettens to look into the special education reimbursements. Mr. Gettens could not be reached for comment yesterday. August 5, 2007 Interesting activities in political campaign expenses for Worcester DA’s candidates; past and present. Former District Attorney John Conte has been freely spending his political campaign war chest; at the height of his surprised announcement not to seek re-election totaled $278,318.73. Many large donations are connected to the Diocese of Worcester, while other minor donations are to youth services and other political candidates. Several payments listed to Sonitrol, of Dallas, Texas for security amounting to $263.28 have been sent to the Office of Political Finance for review to see if they are within the guidelines of M.G.L. Chapter 55 section 18 for residual funds of political candidates. Newly elected District Attorney Joseph Early Jr., has been spending a rather large amount on a political consultant, Michael Shea. Campaign expense records for June 2007 illustrate a total payment of $5,000 for Mr. Shea. With the 2010 election three years away to spend such a hefty amount on a media consultant appears debatable. DA Early’s, June 2007 contributions generally can be attributed to lawyer’s doing business in Worcester County tallying $20,500.00. Campaign expenses for the same time period amounted to $15,934.71. Mr. Early campaigned on promises to make juvenile justice a top priority and to improve the lives of all families in Worcester County. July 31, 2007 Vacation and sick time cost DA Former employees got paid more than $108,000 By Shaun Sutner TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFFWORCESTER— After he took office Jan. 3, District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. spent more than $108,000 for accrued vacation and sick time for 12 prosecutors and administrative employees of former District Attorney John J. Conte who were either fired or left on their own accord.
One of Mr. Conte’s former assistant district attorneys, veteran
prosecutor Joseph LoStracco, received $8,846 in vacation pay and
$22,835 in accumulated sick time, which he bought back at the rate
of 20 percent, according to information requested by the Telegram &
Gazette under public records laws.
The payouts were made possible by state laws that allow public
employees to receive all their vacation pay for the entire year
after the first day of the year. March 29, 2007 DA Joseph Early starts new cold case unit Trooper Dan Richard a questionable choice.While the formation of a cold case unit should be applauded by new District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr, his choice of State Trooper Daniel G. Richard to lead the unit appears problematic based on Trooper Richard's past performance. Trooper Richard was exposed in 2005 by Worcester Superior Court Judge John S. McCann for “gross negligence” or “culpable negligence” by allowing a copy of the photo array of a murder suspect to be made and surreptitiously taken from the Fitchburg police station. In excluding any reference to the photo array by the witness, the judge cited what he described in regards to the photo array which was shown to the witness by police as “crossed the line” and was “impermissibly suggestive” because of dissimilarities between the photographs used. While State police Detective Daniel Richard was out of the interview room. The witness not only showed the copy of the array to another witness but also told the second witness he had identified Mr. Yang as the shooter, according to the judge’s ruling. March 17, 2007 DA prepared to tackle issues of juvenile crime By Jonathan Graham, Sentinel and Enterprise FITCHBURG -- New District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said he is ready to make the long-term effort to keep juveniles out of the criminal justice system. "If you can get a kid, the research has shown, to graduate high school without an alcohol problem, what you're saving to the taxpayers is about $200,000 a kid," Early said Thursday. "If you can get that kid through high school without an alcohol problem, he is 50 percent less likely to get involved in the criminal justice system." Prosecutors' primary focus will still be on getting convictions, but Early said he is committed to try to help bring state agencies together to help with these other social issues, like education and pre-natal care. "(Social agencies are) all out there, but if you can get them involved, all together working here, then you have your best chance of success," he said during an interview with the Sentinel & Enterprise editorial board Thursday. There are huge benefits to making sure children grow up with a support system, Early said. That includes helping kids focus on their education, and convincing them to study a little bit extra a night. "Am I being a little bit idealistic? I don't think so," he said. "That type of behavior will give them a better opportunity to get through high school, give them a better opportunity to get a secondary education in college or whatever." Eighty percent of juveniles who commit a crime will not have any further involvement with the criminal justice system, while five percent will probably always be in and out of the courts, he said. But 15 percent of those who commit crimes could go either way, Early said. "Those are the ones you've got to focus on, those are the ones you've got to try to get to," he said. Early does not see any need for changes in the state's juvenile justice laws, which he said offers kids an important second chance. He said he understands the strong feelings that come from some juvenile cases, referring to an incident where juveniles allegedly caused more than $140,000 in damage to a Worcester park. "Your gut reaction is, 'I want to know their names,' and once again that's something to bring up with the legislators, but I don't think by any means these kids that are caught are avoiding justice," Early said. The system does not just give kids a slap on the wrist, he said. But he is pushing legislation that would make it illegal to harbor runaway juveniles with the possibility of a year in jail if convicted, working with state Reps. Stephen DiNatale, D-Fitchburg, and Jennifer Flanagan, D-Leominster. Early declined to say much about the case against Leominster High School student Rebecca Richard, 17, who police say struck and killed fellow student Brandon Martinez, 15, with her SUV when she was driving home from school. But he said the charge against Richard, motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation, fits the facts of the case. "A lot goes to what she was doing at the time of the accident, what was her state of mind, what she was doing, was there a disregard for the safety of others while she was on the road," said Early. Early described the whole incident as a tragedy. "Maybe if he'd left school a minute earlier, he wouldn't have been in that spot ... it's a tragedy," Early said. "Nothing good comes out of a tragedy, except sometimes there are some changes in the law." When asked if the bail amounts being set by area judges was too low, Early smiled but said he thought they were appropriate. On another subject, Early said his office is getting five to 10 complaints a week related to open meeting law infractions, many of them which can be quickly dealt with. Early said technological changes like e-mail are providing more room for officials to cut corners on open meeting laws, and Early said he is working "to get the message out there ... you can't do things behind closed doors, government is meant to be open, and we're going to make sure it is open." There is also a push to have the state's attorney general take on the task of enforcing the law to give it more uniformity throughout the state, Early said. DA forms cold case division By Jonathan Graham, Sentinel and Enterprise FITCHBURG -- The Worcester County District Attorney's office is resurrecting its cold case squad under a new name, according to newly elected District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. The unit will be called the Unresolved Case Squad at the request of John Bish, whose 16-year-old daughter was abducted near her Warren home in June 2000. Her body was later found in 2003. Police have never found Bish's killer, but Early said his office still has "people we're looking at." The Unresolved Case Unit, which was disbanded about four years ago, will consist of a state police sergeant and state trooper assigned to his office, Early said. "There's been a lot of changes in DNA and I want to bring it back," Early said during an interview at the Sentinel & Enterprise office Thursday. "(They) are going to be focusing strictly on unsolved crimes, unsolved murders," Early said. "We have to do whatever we can to bring closure to these families." Bish suggested reviving the unit during last year's election campaign, Early said. Bish could not be reached for comment Thursday. Early also said Thursday he is making some changes to the staffing at the Fitchburg District Court by bringing in a new assistant district attorney. The prosecutor, who Early declined to name Thursday, will replace Assistant District Attorney Robert Pellegrini as the head of the Fitchburg division. Early called Pellegrini a good prosecutor, but whose strengths are better suited in a different area. The new assistant district attorney is a "good people person, he's a good prosecutor, great trial skills, he's going to do well, I think he's going to thrive," Early said. There is also a push to add another prosecutor to the Fitchburg division, Early said. The district attorney's office has already made changes at the Leominster division, adding Assistant District Attorneys Erin Donnelly and David Feraco, Early said.Grand Jury Testimony to be reviewed by new Worcester DA While many were prepared for the known actions of former District Attorney John Conte, our new Worcester District Attorney, Joseph Early Jr. has however turned a few heads this week with the public announcement he would be looking at the shooting case of Officer Stephen Rice by car dealer Mark Ragsdale. No indictment by the grand jury was issued last November regarding the shooting. A private meeting between District Attorney Early and Shrewsbury detectives last week was first exposed in the MetroWest Daily News by Reporter, Joyce Kelley. The result of this meeting facilitated an agreement by District Attorney Early to review the grand jury testimony involving the facts leading to decision not to indict. Spokesperson, Timothy Connolly, stated in the February 14th article, “Early is reviewing several high profile cases, such as the Molly Bish murder and another involving convicted rapist Benjamin LaGuer.” When question in a telephone interview Friday afternoon, Mr. Connolly was asked to clarify the word “review”. Mr. Connolly stated, “the word review means reading case files, bringing himself up to speed, as new District Attorney Early did not know all the facts”. This is a new beginning for a new District Attorney to end the long history within former District Attorney John Conte’s office, of hiding behind a cloak of secrecy. It is encouraging to see that the new District Attorney is no longer using black out media control tactics. The “not available for comment” that became the former Worcester District Attorney’s legacy has been discontinued. District Attorney Conte’s ability to manipulate the grand jury outcomes for his own purpose has long been controversial in Worcester County. Below are a few public cases which also appear to have questionable findings of fact. Massachusetts State Police Trooper Donald Gray, escaped criminal prosecution when a grand jury failed to return an indictment. However, after an inquest before Superior Judge Richard Greco, which concluded prior to the grand Jury, Trooper Gray was found to have acted with malice in the shooting death of Preston Johnson. Father Raymond Messier of Athol, who was “supported”, by the Department of Social Service, for sexual abuse of a minor, escaped criminal prosecution when a grand jury failed to return an indictment. Filling former District Attorney John Conte’s shoes is a daunting task to say the least. The process will be lengthy and difficult but is absolutely necessary. A review of controversial case files certainly appears to be the first step in the right direction. Regarding the Benjamin LaGuer case serious legal questions have arisen. In question is critical fingerprint evidence withheld from the defense during the trial 23 years ago. The original finger prints taken from the crime scene which did not match Benjamin LaGuer were in state police custody at the time, are now missing. The DNA results also are under scrutiny in light of the now exposed Massachusetts State Police lab debacle. These two matters are obvious reviewable factors in this case. District Attorney John Conte denied the FBI to assist his office in searching for the missing young life guard, Molly Bish. His office changed reward posters, dissolved a special grand jury without a finding, and spent millions of dollars on man-hours without a conclusion to this case. This defies logic to most. Other unsolved murders such as Candance Scola, Patricia Goynor, Holly Piranian exposed in a summer series “Unsolved Mysteries”, by the Worcester Telegram, reveled that these cases received considerable less investigative hours, no rewards and no special grand jury. District Attorney Early deserves to be judged on his own actions. However, years of mistrust will not simply dissolve because of the outcome of an election. District Attorney Early will need everyone’s patience and cooperation. He will need time to adjust and absorb past cases. Openness, accessibility and fairness will be key factors in demonstrating change and winning back the trust in the District Attorney’s Office. As many eyes have followed this transition, ultimately it will up to Joseph Early Jr. to invite the public in, allow differences of opinions without fear of retribution for defense practices, along with fair access to the legal process for all. January 4, 2007
Early sworn in as
district attorney -
WORCESTER - Amid
a backdrop of history, Joseph D. Early Jr. was sworn in yesterday as
the new Worcester district attorney, promising a community-based
office that will work to prevent crime before it occurs.
Mr. Early thanked
his supporters who backed him since he first stood on a chair at the
Viva Bene Ristorante two years ago, announcing he would run for
district attorney, and reiterated the campaign promises he made at
the time to enhance the juvenile justice division, work closer with
police throughout the district, and build a community-based office. New DA appoints liaison for community By Milton J. Valencia TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF WORCESTER— Joseph D. Early Jr.’s first move as
district attorney-elect has been to hire a community relations
worker, a campaign promise he made and a first for the office in
more than 30 years. “What we’re going to do is go out and go after
this grant money, in terms of trying to make this office what I’ve
been talking about all along, so it has a real prevention aspect as
well,” Mr. Early said. Joe Early Jr.’s win promises changes
By Milton J.
Valencia TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
Mr. Early’s
plans were widely known during the campaign season, so those he will
deal with in courthouse business are familiar with his aims. Still,
life without Mr. Conte will be an adjustment, as well; many have
spent their adult careers in the courthouse with Mr. Conte as the
district attorney. September 20, 2006 
Early declares victory over Shea By Milton J. Valencia TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
WORCESTER— Joseph
D. Early Jr. took an early but significant lead over Daniel J. Shea
in the race for Worcester district attorney last night, enough for
him to declare victory before a crowd of family, friends and
supporters during a post-election party. Victorious in Democratic primary for DA seat
WORCESTER -- Joseph Early Jr. is poised to replace long-standing Worcester County District Attorney John Conte, after beating Daniel Shea in the Democratic primary Tuesday night. Early led Shea by a margin of 77 percent, or 17,125 votes, with 46 percent of the precincts reporting. Shea had 23 percent, of 5,191 votes, with 46 percent of the precincts reporting. "It's been a great day," Early said in a phone interview. "All the hard work has paid off." Asked what he will do next, Early said he is thanking his campaign workers who helped out around the county. "It's been local. It's all the people that have been taking me around, they made it happen," he said. There's no Republican candidate on the ballot for the general election. Early said he congratulated Shea "for running a great campaign." Shea said he wanted to congratulate Early on his victory, but said he was "obviously disappointed" about losing. "We got into this very late, back in April, with not much money and not much of a staff," Shea said. "Obviously it's disappointing, but I believe my candidacy was about the community. A whole number of things were brought to light by the campaign, and the community is a winner." Shea said he isn't sure if he will ever run for district attorney again. He will go back to practicing as a civil lawyer for now, he said. "I actually have some live cases, I'll just continue to practice law," he said. "My existing clients in Massachusetts are probably relieved they don't have to go out and find another lawyer." Early is the son of former Congressman Joseph Early. Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. September 19, 2006 Worcester County District Attorney John Conte announced earlier this year that he would not run for re-election, ending his long tenure as the country's top prosecutor. Voters dutifully returned him to office every time he ran for re-election in the past, but the truth is Conte should have retired years ago. During his last several terms in office, Conte hid behind closed doors at the District Attorney's office in Worcester, rarely, if ever, talking to the press and public about important cases and issues. Conte's office often waited several years to try major cases throughout the county - making victims' families wait and wait until a case finally got to trial. September 16, 2006 last look at the Worcester DA race explores candidates backgrounds.
Worcester County District Attorney Candidate, Daniel Shea became a Massachusetts State resident May 5, 2006 when he purchased a condominium at 80 Salisbury Street, Worcester.
Attorney Daniel Shea has no law office listed in Worcester County. The Shea 2006.com web site portrays a Texas law office as still in operations at 1928 West Bell Street, Houston, Texas Photos of the 1928 West Bell address reveals the blinds to be drawn and no employee in the office as of 10:30 am on Friday, September 15, 2006. Attorney Daniel J Shea according to the Massachusetts Board Bar of Overseers of the Supreme Judicial court was admitted to the bar on September 9, 2001. A receipt of Reprimand from other Juris was recorded on June 19, 2006. The State Bar of Texas reports Attorney Shea accepted a public reprimand. (Attorney) Shea borrowed money from the client. He failed to fully disclose the terms of the loans to the client, the terms of which were not fair and reasonable to the client; failed to advise the client of the opportunity to seek independent counsel; and failed to obtain the client's consent in writing. Ms Dawn Whatley on June 8, 2006 filed a complaint with the State Bar of Texas to which a conclusion has yet to be determined. The Office of Beverly B. Kaufman, County Clerk, Harris County Texas, County Civil Court law inquiry system, list Attorney Daniel Shea as the defendant in a Civil Lawsuit Suit, docket number 857646 in which Michael Easton is listed as plaintiff, filing date May, 27, 2006. Ms Susan Norman is also listed as plaintiff, dated June 13, 2006. The listing further discloses Attorney Shea was the defendant in a suit by Ford Motor Company July 2, 1998. A search of the Trial Court Information Center for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts of all thirteen counties displayed no civil suits filed as either a defendant or plaintiff for Attorney Shea. The Trial Court Information Center for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts list Daniel Shea as an interested party, after he filed an intervention motion, following his withdrawal from the Bishop Rueger civil law suit. The civil suit was later dismissed The campaign for Daniel Shea has announced no public endorsements. Worcester County District Attorney Candidate, Attorney Joseph Early Jr. resides at 36 Blackstone Drive, Worcester, with his wife Judith and his four children. Attorney Joseph Early Jr. according to the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers of the Supreme Judicial court was admitted to the bar on June 6, 1985. He has no record of public discipline as of September 19, 2006 A search of the Trial Court Information Center for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts of all thirteen counties displayed no civil suits filed as either a defendant or plaintiff for Attorney Joseph Early Jr. The campaign for candidate Joseph Early Jr. announced on September 15, 2006 his candidacy has been been endorsed by Massachusetts State Police Association, Central Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, Southbridge Police Association, West Boylston Police Mass C.O.P. Local 172, Charlton Police Alliance, Spencer Police Association, Grafton Police Association, Worcester Police IBPO Local 378, Fitchburg Police Association, Shrewsbury Police IBPO Local 426, Worcester County Sheriff Guy W. Glodis, Worcester Firefighters Local 1009, Central Massachusetts Labor Council-AFL/CIO, Massachusetts Laborers’ District Council, Massachusetts Nurses Association, Truck Drivers Union Local 170 and Worcester County Register of Probate Stephen G. Abraham.September 12, 2006 Debate between Early and Shea tonight, Is there really any question as to who leads in the race?During the past few weeks the Governor’s race has certainly heated up with each candidate taking on a last minute advertising blitz, clarifying proclamations of individual positions, all directed at persuasion of the undecided voters. In Worcester for what many see as a very significant position, the Office of District Attorney, no media blitz, no last minute public drives and not many undecided voters. Joseph Early Jr. has received well over a hundred thousand of dollars in contributions from Account Executives, Corrections Officers, Financial Consultants, Real Estate Developers, Insurance Agents, Physicians, a newspaper Publisher, a Landscaping owner, the retired and of course numerous local Attorneys. Early campaign bumper stickers and lawn signs are noticeable not only in Worcester, but plaster the landscape from Blackstone, to Milford, from Westminster to New Braintree. The Early campaign has held a fund raising golf event, fund raising dinners at Viva Bene Restaurant in Worcester. The Early campaign sporting blue Early T-shirts had a well represented contingent that marched in the Fitchburg Fourth of July parade. The Early campaign has a chairperson for direction, a payroll for employees, and a host of volunteers who are scheduled to hold signs during the primary on September 19th. Daniel J. Shea’s campaign contributions total below a couple thousand dollars. For the most part the Shea campaign has been self financed. No Physicians, no Attorneys, no Real Estate developers or Financial Consultants. No payroll, nor chairperson nor golf events or $100.00 dollar a plate dinner fundraisers. Shea has attended events held by other politicians and marched with Veterans of foreign wars during the Rutland Fourth of July parade. Shea bumper stickers, lawn signs or ads are minimal. Both candidates agree on the need for better communications with local police and the long desired upgrade to the state evidence-testing laboratories. Both focus on improvement on Juvenile Justice as a source for better direction of youthful offenders. What really has been lost in this campaign is the focus on the corrections from within the current office that have become so offensive and destructive. We need a District Attorney’s office that maintains media communication on a regular bases. Not like currently when the media is used to publicly promulgate certain cases as a method to the means of a conviction while other significant cases with questionable prosecutorial maneuvers receive the standard “no comments”. We need an improvement in the plea bargain system currently employed that results in local lawyers having to bargain one client for the chance to maintain the possibility of plea bargaining the next. We need a District Attorney's office that will have a public integrity unit so citizens who disagree with the District Attorney’s office can have an independent determination to avoid favoritism in both prosecution and the lack of. We need employees who are hired and promoted based on skills and education not connections and contributions. We need State Troopers who are allowed the ability and support to investigate real crimes, not used as a means of favored crusades or political presentations. As the primary nears, one thing for sure what Worcester Country needs most is accountability from within and to rebuilt the trust that has been lost so citizens can feel secure in the actions of the Office of District Attorney, Middle District. September 4, 2006
In Worcester,
DA's office open for first time in 30 years August 18, 2006 By Scott Zoback Worcester Magazine • SHEA’S STASH: Last week, we (Worcester Magazine) reported that District Attorney hopeful Dan Shea’s committee made a $200 donation to the Deval Patrick campaign. Well, as it turns out, that donation is illegal. Campaign finance law dictates that candidates are not allowed to give more than $100 out of their campaign coffers to another candidate in any given year. Shea spokesperson Kathy Shaw says, “There was an oversight ... [we will] amend the report ... and reimburse the money. We are aware and we are rectifying it.” August 11, 2006 By Scott Zoback Worcester Magazine • COST OF POLITICS, PART TWO: Locally, district attorney candidate Daniel Shea is continuing to run a small-money campaign — he has a little less than $1,000 in the bank, according to his most recent statement. But the money he does have is getting spent heavily in local media ads. In late July, he paid $437.50 to the Telegram and Gazette, presumably for a banner ad that is running on their Web site — an ad that also lists his communications director, Kathy Shaw, a former Telegram reporter. And earlier in July, he gave $525 to InCity Times, where he ran a half-page ad. Shea’s campaign also gave $200 to Deval Patrick’s campaign, putting him alongside donors like YoYo Ma and Anita Hill. Shea’s opponent, Joe Early Jr., has raised a little more than $123,000. August 6, 2006
Early plans for run come to fruition
WORCESTER— The
way Joe Early Jr. puts it, it all began in December 2004, during a
fundraiser at the Viva Bene restaurant in downtown Worcester. August 6, 2006
Shea
wants to ask the right questions
WORCESTER— Daniel
J. Shea tells stories of a sunken submarine, the Three Mile Island
disaster, and a U.S. Navy admiral kicking at his heels in explaining
what he called compelling lessons that groomed him to be who he is
today: the way he practices law and strives to ensure public
integrity in society, government and religion. June 16, 2006 By Scott Zoback Worcester Magazine • A GIVING MOOD: It seems Joe Early Jr. is getting money from everyone under the Central Mass. sun — including those who could really use a friendly face in the DA’s office. Former Southbridge cop Norman Brodeur, currently on pre-trial probation related to charges that he violated an abuse prevention order, gave Early a $100 campaign contribution earlier this month. Brodeur, a 29-year |
